Ángela Meyer
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Ángela Meyer (born August 2, 1947) is a Puerto Rican actress, comedian, producer of television and theatrical works, and politician. Meyer is the founder and/or co-founder of various entertainment production companies. Among the production companies which have been associated with Meyer are Meca Productions which produced theater and television productions and Meyer de Jesus Productions which produced soap operas. Currently, she serves as a member of the Municipal Legislature of
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
, the capital of Puerto Rico.


Early years

Meyer was born as Ángela del Carmen Maurano Debén in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her mother, Margot Debén, was a Puerto Rican actress and comedian, and her father,
Mario Maurano Mario Maurano (6 August 1905 - 27 December 1974) was an Argentine film score composer and pianist, best remembered for his tangos. He was especially known for his orchestral work supporting starlet Libertad Lamarque, with songs including ''Te quier ...
, was a musician and native of Argentina. Meyer was 18 months old when her parents divorced and with her mother went to
Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
to live with her mother's brother Luis Ricardo Debén, a magician known as "Richardine". She was raised by her uncle and considered him her father. She made her debut on the stage before she was two years old in one of her uncle's presentations. Her mother remarried and returned to Puerto Rico leaving her daughter behind in her uncle's care. She continued to perform with her uncle in South America until 1968 when she returned to the island to live with her mother and stepfather. In Puerto Rico, she received her secondary education.Ángela Meyer profile
aarp.org; accessed December 6, 2017.


Television debut

In 1973, Meyer traveled throughout Europe and the Middle East performing with her uncle. In 1968 she returned to the island, where her comic talent was recognized by Puerto Rican comedian
José Miguel Agrelot Giuseppe Michael Agrelot Vilá (April 21, 1927 – January 28, 2004), also known as José Miguel Agrelot or Don Cholito, was a Puerto Rican comedian, radio and television host. Biography Agrelot was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico. He was the ...
. He invited her to participate in his show ''Ja, ja, ji, ji, jo, jo con Agrelot'' and when Tommy Muniz started his production of 'telenovelas' she became one of its young leading ladies. She adopted her first husband's surname, "Mayer", and changed to "Meyer" (he died in an airplane crash) which she was to use as her stagename. She also auditioned and was cast in minor roles in the soap operas ''Marcelo y Marcelino'' and ''Mujeres sin hombre'' (Women without men). Meyer's talent as an actress was soon recognized and she was cast in the lead roles of ''Tomiko'', ''El Ultimo Adios'' (The Last Good-bye), ''Rebelde'' (Rebel) and ''Un Amante al rojo vivo'' (A red-hot lover).


Soap operas

In the soap opera (''The son of Angela Maria''), Meyer was cast (in
blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...
) in the role of "Chianita", a poor black country girl who, despite the fact that she never attended school, was a very wise person with a sense of humor. The character of Chianita was to change the life of Meyer forever. The character was so loved by the Puerto Rican public that Meyer continued to make public presentations in various television shows such as
Luis Vigoreaux Luis Vigoreaux Rivera (April 12, 1928 – January 17, 1983) was a Puerto Rican radio and television show host, announcer, comedian and producer. Vigoreaux was considered a pioneer in the television business in Puerto Rico, and enjoyed success ...
's ''El Show del Mediodia''. As Chianita, Meyer recorded three albums, including "Chianita Gobernadora" in 1973, which sold over 100,000 copies. Some people even wanted Chianita to run for governor, becoming a part of Puerto Rican folklore. However, the black makeup she used provoked an allergy on Meyer's face and in 1984 Chianita made her last public appearance. Meyer participated as actress and assistant producer in the soap operas ''Primera Fila'' (''First Row'') and ''El Regreso'' (''The Return''). Puerto Rican artists were beginning to face the dilemma of local television stations importing soap operas from Mexico and Venezuela which were more cost efficient. Meyer and her friend and fellow actress, Camille Carrión, founded Meca Productions with the idea of producing theater and television productions. Their first theater production was ''Casa de Mujeres'' (''House of Women''), which went on for 105 presentations. They also produced for
Tele-Once WLII-DT (channel 11), branded on-air as TeleOnce, is a television station licensed to Caguas, Puerto Rico, serving the Territories of the United States#Permanently inhabited territories, U.S. territory as an affiliate of Univision and UniMás. ...
the show ''Ellas al Mediodia'' and the soap operas ''La Isla'' (The Island), Ave de paso and Yara Prohibida.


Meyer de Jesus Productions

In 1988, Meyer founded "Meyer de Jesus Productions" (''de Jesus'' is her second husband's surname), after Meca Productions was dissolved. She joined Telemundo and produced three series based on historical events: ''Mission Cumplida'' (Mission Accomplished) based on the events which took place at the
Cerro Maravilla Cerro Maravilla is Puerto Rico's fourth highest peak at . It is located on the northern edge Barrio Anón in Ponce, close to the border with the municipality Jayuya, and is part of the Cordillera Central (Central Mountain Range). It is known as ...
, ''Gaviota de Esperanza'' based on the life of
Sandra Zaiter Sandra Zaiter (November 21, 1943 – September 25, 2022) was a Dominican-born Puerto Rican actress, children's television show host, singer, composer and athlete. Early life and career Zaiter was born in the Dominican Republic to Maronite Chri ...
and ''Hasta el fondo del dolor'' based on the life of Sylvia Rexach, portrayed by Sylvia's own daughter, Puerto Rican actress & singer, Sharon Riley and
Adamari López Adamari López Torres (born May 18, 1971) is a Puerto Rican actress known for participating in several Puerto Rican and Mexican soap operas. She is currently a host on the Telemundo morning show ''Hoy Día'' and is a Latina ambassador for WW, ...
, as Sharon. During this decade she became very active in theatrical presentations. One of her most acclaimed works was the monologue: ''Tengamos Sexo en Paz'' (Let's make love in peace). She served in the Department of Puerto Rican Culture for the city of San Juan (1995–96) and as advisor for cultural and educational events in 2000, for the city of Bayamón. In 2004, Meyer produced ''Tres Noches tropicales y una vida de infierno'' (Three tropical nights and a life in hell), which was presented in Puerto Rico,
Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...
and Washington, D.C. In November 2005, Meyer participated with
Johnatan Dwayne Johnatan Dwayne (born July 31, 1963) is a musician, composer, and artist who introduced the musical concept of art rock into Puerto Rico. Early years Dwayne was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico the capital city of the island. In the 1980s he belon ...
in Calderón de la Barca's ''La dama duende'', presented at the Warehouse Theater in Washington, D.C.


Municipal Legislature of San Juan

In October of 2020, the month before the
2020 Puerto Rican general election The 2020 Puerto Rican general elections was held on November 3, 2020 to elect the officials of the Puerto Rican government who will serve from January 2021 to January 2025, most notably the position of Governor and Resident Commissioner. In addit ...
, Meyer announced her intent to run for the Municipal Legislature of San Juan as a member of the New Progressive Party. Her bid was successful and she currently serves on the municipality's legislature.


See also

* List of Puerto Ricans * History of women in Puerto Rico


Notes


References


External links


Angela Meyer in Washington, D.C.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meyer, Angela 1947 births Living people 20th-century Puerto Rican actresses Puerto Rican comedians Puerto Rican soap opera actresses Puerto Rican stage actresses Puerto Rican telenovela actresses Puerto Rican television producers People from San Juan, Puerto Rico